Cemetery cleaned up for Memorial Day

The sign at the entrance to the Sunset Hills Estates subdivision show signs of being pressure washed Saturday after it was vandalized.

The sign at the entrance to the Sunset Hills Estates subdivision show signs of being pressure washed Saturday after it was vandalized.

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The sign at the entrance to the Sunset Hills Estates subdivision show signs of being pressure washed Saturday after it was vandalized.

The sign at the entrance to the Sunset Hills Estates subdivision show signs of being pressure washed Saturday after it was vandalized.

Cemetery cleaned up for Memorial Day

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GLEN CARBON - As they do each Memorial Day, hundreds drove the flag-covered grounds of Sunset Hill Cemetery in Glen Carbon to pay their respects to lost loved ones.

This year, however, they did so just two days after more than 200 headstones had been vandalized with spray-painted swastikas.

Now 34-year-old Timothy V.A. Mclean of Glen Carbon is being held in custody in the Madison County Jail awaiting formal charges.

As it stands, he is expected to be charged with a hate crime and institutional vandalism, according to a press release from the Glen Carbon Police Department.

The Sunset Hills Estates subdivision, just across Route 157 in Edwardsville, was also vandalized as dozens of swastikas were spray painted on homes, vehicles, mailboxes and the subdivision’s entrance sign.

The headstones, old office building and other fixtures at the cemetery were also spray painted with swastikas during the act, which took place late Friday/early Saturday.

Sunset Hill Funeral Home Directory Lyle Hill said Monday he has never encountered such an act.

“It’s the first time since I’ve been around here. I’ve been around 27 years. First time I’ve seen any damage like that,” Hill said.

More than 26,000 individuals are buried at Sunset Hills, which is known for, among other things, placing hundreds of flags across its grounds for its annual Memorial Day service, which includes a balloon launch, singing of the national anthem and presentation of colors.

Hill first heard about the vandalism Saturday morning and said he and his crew had to wait until police officers had secured the site and gathered evidence before cleanup could begin.

“I first heard about it Saturday morning. I was down in Collinsville and my brother called me, he lives across the street there, and he said apparently they got the cemetery,” Hill said. “It was about 10 or 10:30 before the police released it before we could start cleaning.”

Hill said power washers were the primary cleaning tool used to remove the spray paint and 10 men were involved in getting the cemetery ready for Monday’s service.

“We pretty much got it all done Saturday,” Hill said. “It pretty much came clean. The old office got hit pretty badly and it all came off.”

What didn’t come off with the initial cleaning will be addressed later and Hill said a new solution will be used.

“Apparently there’s some different stuff we just found out about called Elephant Snot and it’s supposed to work real well. There’s a couple of marks we didn’t quite get and we’re going to try this,” Hill said.

The incident has drawn national attention and one reason might be that Glen Carbon and Edwardsville are such quiet communities.

Glen Carbon Mayor Rob Jackstadt said, after speaking Monday’s Memorial Day Service at the Glen Carbon Veterans Memorial, that such incidents don’t really speak to who the residents of the community are.

“What happened in Sunset Hill is not reflective at all of Glen Carbon residents. Glen Carbon was a mining town that acted as sort of a melting pot, including immigrants that care for each other and still do today,” Jackstadt said. “We’re known for being a town that has a strong community interest and it’s certainly a repugnant act that doesn’t reflect our Glen Carbon residents at all.”

The Edwardsville Police Department and Illinois State Police were also involved in the investigation.